


Save Him

by thayde



Category: Dominion (TV)
Genre: First Time writing Smut, Kind of dubious consent, M/M, Slash, but not in the end, gabriel has depth, it got really wordy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-06 17:08:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1865745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thayde/pseuds/thayde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel came to the city under the guise of peace talks.  But the second their eyes met, Alex knew that wasn't it. Not at all. </p>
<p>Chapter 1 now beta'd!  So much better (seriously)!<br/>Chapter 2 also beta'd!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now beta'd by Zuq!

Gabriel came to the city under the guise of peace talks. He claimed a desire to discuss the terms of Vega's ceasefire, and the conditions under which angels and humans might share the world.

But the second their eyes met, Alex knew that wasn't it.

Despite the many envoys over the years, there would never be a peaceful compromise between angels and humans. It always went rather smoothly until it hit the true core: Eight Balls. They wanted human bodies to possess, but no one was willing to give them the foothold. The next morning, Gabriel and his red guard would leave when their so-called negotiations yielded nothing.

Being in Archangel Corps meant Alex was on delegation detail. So when midnight rolled around, he found himself on shift for guard duty in Michael's house, standing at attention at the hall's end. The full moon cast dramatic shadows across the stretch of parquet floor and onto the door of Gabriel's guest room.

 _Just like a campfire tale about to end in a horrible, violent murder_ , thought Alex. _Terrific._

The soft sound of feathers stretching against feathers rolled through the silence like a breeze--oddly peaceful, considering the source of the calming sound. It was rather disconcerting thinking about it; the root cause for the world's dystopic backdrop was right behind that door. 

How easy would it be to kill Gabriel while he slept?

Actually, it would probably be pretty damn hard even if he _was_ sleeping, Alex guessed. Not to mention it would seriously piss Michael off, which was never a fun experience. If a field trip outside the walls warranted the whip, Alex wasn't in a rush to know the punishment for attacking Michael's own brother in his sleep, under Michael's own roof, after Michael promised Gabriel safe passage.

Alex's train of thought was disrupted by the low groan of hinges and the long sliver of darkness peeking from Gabriel's open doorway. 

_Well then._

And what the hell was he supposed to _do_ with that? Walk up and shut the door? Tell Michael? It's not like Gabriel wasn't _allowed_ to be a creepy asshole and crack open his door in the middle of the night. This was definitely turning into one of those campfire horror stories--approaching that door was one of those dumb decisions Dad warned was "how kids end up dead". 

There was more rustling of feathers, louder than before. Alex took a few tentative steps forward, keeping his breathing quiet. He would just take a quick peek, and make sure there wasn't anything wrong, and once he verified all was well, he would tiptoe back to his position and leave Creepy Gabriel to his Creepy Habits. 

Alex stood at the threshold, peering into the luxurious room. The window was open, a warm and sweet breeze fluttering the drapes, and the bed sheets were twisted yet devoid of life. 

_Where the fuck was that feathered--ah, hell_. Alex pulled at the radio on his shoulder, preparing to call in an alert on the rogue archangel. Before his finger pushed the call button, an arm shot out from the shadows and latched onto his vest, yanking him into the room. His back was slammed against the wall and the radio ripped from the strap, only to be tossed carelessly over Gabriel's shoulder.

Alex cried out, but his voice was smothered behind a large palm, the air forced from his lungs as Gabriel pressed their bodies together with brutal efficiency. 

"Ah, ah, ah, let's not wake up the others, _Alex_ ", Gabriel hissed, "That would be quite rude, and you and I need to have a private chat." Alex glared up at the angel, and Gabriel grinned back, eyes wild. That's where Michael and Gabriel truly differed--around the eyes. They both had a regal presence, weakening your knees with just a glance, but where Michael admonishes himself for the enjoyment of flesh, Gabriel revels in it. Takes savage pleasure in it and laughs at it with abandon.

"Now Alex, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to take my hand off your mouth." Gabriel's free hand slid down Alex's ribs and gripped the hilt of the left cinquedea, drawing the blade from its sheath. 

"You will keep your voice down."

In a blink, Gabriel threw the blade into the wall behind them, burying it several inches deep into the plaster.

"You will not run."

Alex could feel the trail of fingertips as Gabriel reached for the other cinquedea, taking advantage of the brief moment of shock.

"You will not attack me." 

The second blade joined its twin. Both were beyond Alex's reach. 

"And if you don't cooperate," Gabriel continued, his eyes glinting, "The first person I go after will be the Riesen bitch. Blink so I know you understand me."

Alex blinked once, doing his best to imbue it with the biggest Fuck You as possible. A laugh worked it's way from Gabriel's throat which reverberated through Alex's chest like thunder. "If only looks could kill, yes?"

Gabriel kicked the door shut and roughly pulled Alex further into the room by the strap of his bulletproof vest. He threw him on the floor at the center of the room. When Alex went to stand, the angel grabbed both his shoulders and pushed him back down--a spike of pain shot up his thighs when his knees hit the wood. He glowered up at Gabriel, who towered over the blonde like a winged war god preparing to strike a killing blow.

Despite himself, Alex felt a tendril of reluctant awe at the powerful image the Archangel evoked. This is what he imagined a warrior for God would look like from the old stories--deadly and oh, so lovely.

_That's why angelic is synonymous with beauty. Gabriel is as beautiful as Michael._

The angel's hips are dangerously close to his--and whoa, this was all levels of awkward. As his face heats up in a humiliating blush, Gabriel's fingers trailing his brow breaks the spell and abruptly he's brought back to the danger at hand.

"Let us get straight to the point, _Chosen One_." Gabriel placed a mocking emphasis on 'Chosen One', the corners of his mouth upturned in a gambler's smirk. "I wish to see the markings." Alex felt the blood drain from his face. 

"I don't know what--" 

"Of course you do. Let's not play these games, Alex. I will see them one way or another." 

Alex shoved Gabriel's hands away from him and jumped to his feet to put more distance between them.

"I don't know what you think you know, but you need to take this up with Michael."

"I have, Alex." Gabriel stepped closer to him. "He is rather possessive of his favorites." He continued but Alex takes a step back for every one Gabriel takes forward. "He always has been." Gabriel gave a rueful smile as he backed Alex against the bed post.

"Gabriel…" There's just something about Gabriel's presence drew Alex in. Gabriel took up every space in the room, down to the last molecule of oxygen. Appropriate for someone known as God's Messenger--he made a statement simply with his existence. This creature could command empires-- _has_ commanded thousands of warriors--with the cant of his eyebrows alone. Alex could feel the heat from the angel's body, saw the defined contours of his chest under the thin, silk shirt. 

Gabriel without armor was a sight to behold.

His breath shortened, and his own heart felt as if it was desperately trying to escape through his throat. Gabriel's gaze trapped his own .The air is taut and still between them, like the clock froze--the tension tightened just so, like the moment before a cobra strikes with wicked speed. 

And just like that, the penny dropped and Alex darted around Gabriel towards the door. He didn't even make it two steps before a solid wall of feathers sprung up, surrounded and swept him backwards. Alex's knees collided with the edge of the mattress, and he landed on his back, closely followed by a heavy body climbing on top of him and pressing him into the soft blankets, trapping his arms and hands between their chests. A heavy palm covered the lower half of his face; the long fingers and thumb almost spanning his ears. 

"Mmmph!" Alex breathed through his nose, inhaling the strong combined scent of feathers, leather, and sweat, as Gabriel grabbed the metal clasp of his armored vest and ripped it open. He called on his training, trying to knee Gabriel in his kidneys or elbow him in his floating ribs, but the angel thrust his hips between Alex's thighs, forcing them open. Gabriel made short work of the other shoulder clasp, and Alex realized he'd have to release his hands to remove the body armor, and began kicking at the backs of Gabriel's knees to distract him. 

"Come now, Alex, we could have been civilized about this!" Gabriel trapped Alex's flailing ankles with his own, tangling their legs together. Still pinning his hands between them, the archangel felt along Alex's leather belt pouches until his fingers slid over cool metal, and drew forth a pair of steel, regulation handcuffs. Alex's eyes widened at the sight of the bindings, and bucked his hips to try and force Gabriel off. 

He was taken by surprise when a deep groan was torn from Gabriel's throat. Alex could feel the powerful resonation and it sent a sharp streak of heat straight to his groin. 

_Oh for fuck's sake--this is so not the time and definitely not an appropriate person!_

Exhaling through his nose and squeezing his eyes shut, Alex willed himself to not get hard, but it was in vain. Gabriel went very still above him. 

Alex opened his eyes and was met with an intense look upon the angel's face. Gabriel's grin widened and he ground into Alex with his own growing erection, eliciting a strangled gasp from the trapped human. 

"The gifts of the flesh are so wondrous," Gabriel bit out between thrusts,"Can you blame us for wanting bodies of our own?" When Gabriel removed the hand covering his mouth, Alex sucked in a much needed breath and tried to shout for help--though the only sound that came out was a low and garbled call, as Gabriel chose that moment to thrust up against him. As sparks of pleasure shot up his spine, a mouth pressed against his own and a sinful tongue took advantage of the distraction, dipping inside for a taste. 

Kissing Gabriel was what Alex imagined licking fire would be like. Soft and burning, and blue, however that worked. One moment strong and present, the next flitting from one place to another just out of reach. Oddly enough, Gabriel was gentle--it was a give and take, like a sharing of power rather than pure subjugation. 

Lost in the tangle of tongues, Alex was unprepared when Gabriel seized his wrists and twisted them under his arching back and snapped the metal bracelets into place with practiced expertise. 

"Michael! Michammph!" Gabriel covered his mouth again, and wasted no time in ripping the remaining armor off of him and tossing it carelessly on the floor. 

"Do not be afraid, Alex," he drawled, "For you have found favor with God." Alex went still long enough to shoot him a depreciating look. Gabriel grinned, pulled out a small knife, and began cutting away his shirt. 

Which was just grand, really, because that was coming out of his food rations. Damn it.

"Not much for scripture, huh?" Alex rolled his eyes, drawing a laugh from the Archangel. Tearing away the final vestiges of cloth, Gabriel gazed hungrily at the expanse of tantalizing pale skin labeled in blue laid out before him. 

"Then I suppose you're not terribly happy with these." He traced his finger along the exposed blue swirls on his collarbone, causing a shudder to work it's way up Alex's spine. He looked up in trepidation and it was Gabriel's turn to roll his eyes. 

"I'm not going to rape you. I prefer my partners be willing participants," he bent down and began licking a burning trail up the side of Alex's neck then pressed his face into the crux of a shoulder. "Though you _tempt_ me," he mouthed against a vein before sitting back up, a newfound intensity in his eyes. 

"Can you read them?" Alex stared back mulishly.

Narrowing his eyes, the angel considered him a moment. Gabriel stopped fingering the tattoos and slid his hand along each rib, over the belt, down his hip, and along his leg to grip a thigh to hike it up high over the angels own waist, opening Alex's legs wide and pressing back and forth. Eyes dilated, Alex couldn't contain a long moan from the pleasure creeping up his belly. His legs were twitching from the struggle to keep from widening them for Gabriel's ease and to stop them from clenching around his waist to pull the angel deliciously closer. 

"I may not rape, but you seem willing enough, Alex. Now, _can you read them_?" Alex's eyes drifted down to the tattoos on his heaving chest, and there, the familiar glow as the blue lines twisted in on itself like a nest of snakes to form familiar letters. His eyes widened at the words scrawled across his heart. 

"You _can_ read them, I can tell! What does it say?" He raised his eyes back to Gabriel's, and it took him off guard to see such a raw, _ferocious_ hunger lingering in the dark gaze. And a distant part of mind recognized that look. He saw it in the mirror when he was twelve, alone and starving, and so desperate for his Dad to come back. 

He still saw it in the mirror every morning. 

Breathing heavily, Gabriel removed his hand from Alex's mouth, prepared to quickly silence him again if necessary. Alex took a slow breath to bring his brain back online, licked his lips, and asked, "Why are you doing this? Why do you want--no, why do you need to know?" 

Gabriel stared down at him, going still. "I want…I would like to know where my…where He went. I want to find Him," Gabriel replied. 

What Alex heard was 'I want to find my Dad'.

It was like a revelation, because doesn't that just make all kinds of sense? Strip away the wings, and all the divine magic fairytale stuff, and you're left with a father who just up and disappeared one day leaving Gabriel, one of his creations--basically one of his _sons_ \-- alone to fend for himself. 

And fuck if that wasn't something Alex could understand. 

He thought about the blue script, and looked, really looked at the archangel. This puzzling depth of Gabriel's, it was magnetic and hypnotizing, and Alex was tempted to try and solve him. Who he is just seemed so vast and complex in a way only born from millennia of existence. For a moment he will deny later, Alex could understand why some humans bowed to angels as though they were gods. People loved to follow a painted veil. 

He opened his mouth but Gabriel is suddenly ripped off of him and thrown against the wall. Standing there in all his majestic glory is a seriously brassed off Michael, wings splayed out in a predator's display, feathers spread wide. A surge of heat runs through Alex's body at the sight, and dammit, this is not helping the state of things. 

Gabriel pulled himself back up the wall, "Hello brother, Alex and I were just having a friendly discussion." He shot a lascivious smirk. "Care to join us?" Michael followed Gabriel's gaze to Alex's debauched form--cuffed and shirtless on a bed with a tell-tale bulge in his fatigues--and froze. Alex can't tell exactly what the look meant, but it seemed a mix of anger, and challenge? The moment ended and Michaels expression slipped back into his usual stone countenance when he turned back to Gabriel. 

"You have broken the peace of my home and attacked a man granted my protection, and under a banner of ceasefire. You and your guard will leave immediately, and you will _never_ touch Alex in such a way again." 

__"Why ever not, brother? There was a time we shared everything else…"_ _

Alex wondered just _how_ close of brothers they were before they tore at each other over humanity. 

"Until you put to rest your envy of humankind and your anger at Father, we have nothing more to discuss on the matter." Alex sat himself up, and raised a silent eyebrow at the subtext. 

Gabriel nodded. "Very well, Michael." And that's it. He retrieved his armor and weapons from the desk, and placed them on with an efficiency that only came from a lifetime of practice. 

To date, it was the longest sixty seconds in Alex's life.

"Your guard--"

"Is always ready amongst _enemies_ , Michael." Gabriel walked over to the wall adjoining his guards quarters and rapped a rhythm on the wood. Another pattern is tapped back and Gabriel nodded to Michael. Michael picked up Alex's radio from the tangled sheets and made the order to allow two angels to fly from the city. 

"If they deviate flight pattern, execute them. If they turn back to Vega once they have left the premises, execute them." Michael looked pointedly at his brother during the entire call. Gabriel, being the creepy asshole he was, smiled sweetly back and approached the window. 

He turned, and Gabriel's eyes found Alex's gaze, and asked the burning question. And Alex just, well, he sort of saw a bit of himself in the Archangel. He _gets_ it. 

That doesn't make what the mystical ouija board tattoos told him about Gabriel any less awkward, though. 

_"Save him."_

Michaels looked at him sharply, and Alex flinched. Gazed back to Gabriel.

"They said, 'Save him'." And Alex was wrong before, because _that_ is a Look. It's like, Gabriel is just wrecked inside, and Alex _understood_ , and what do you _do_ for an Archangel like that? 

"Brother…" Michael tentatively asked, and now the angels are sharing The Look, and what did that even _mean_ , and it would be great if Michael would _uncuff_ him at some point--Oh. _Oh_! And _no_ , that is _not on_. He did _not_ just become a point of a triangle between the two most powerful beings on Earth.

 _How is this his life_? 

Gabriel laughed at Michael, "I might not let him go, next time!" Flashing a wild grin, he jumped out the window, closely followed by another angelic shape further out. He and Michael watched them disappear from sight, until Alex started to fidget within the cuffs. 

He looked to Michael, "So, you want to get these off me?" 

Michael smirked at him, and stepped closer. 

"No." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time smut writer. Critiques are helpful?

Alex blinked. "Michael--"

"Tell me everything you and my brother discussed."

"We didn't 'discuss' anything! Your _creepy_ brother--"

Michael looked pained. "What? _Lured you in under false pretense_ , perhaps? Really, Alex, I personally trained you." It was rare to see the Archangel so expressive.

"No, Michael, listen. He--"

"Silence." The usual placidity smoothed his face once more. "You were foolish to engage him without notifying anyone else of your actions. He is a powerful enemy." Michael swallowed before continuing in a hushed voice. "And you let him _touch_ you." Alex widened his eyes as Michael stared back with eyebrows drawn together in an ominous expression. 

"Come with me. Now." Michael grabbed one of Alex's cuffed arms and frog-marched the soldier towards the open window. Despite Alex's resistance, he wasn't slowing down.

"Uh, Michael…" The angel wrapped an arm around Alex's waist and, with a quick tug, spun him around so they were chest to chest, and backed him against the window sill. 

"Wait, Michael, NO--at least _take off the handcuffs_!" Ignoring Alex's protests, Michael simply tipped them over the ledge into a free fall along the face of the building. The freezing wind clawed through his hair. His heart caught in his throat at the sight of the ground rushing up to meet them. His wrists bruised as Alex strained against the cuffs out of the instinctive need to grab something solid. 

The sudden sound of shifting feathers was music to his ears as Michael's wings unfurled to their impressive length. Briefly, Alex could feel the caress of feather tips against his skin before Michael canted the leading edges of the primary feathers to catch the wind. The broad valleys of plumage curved under the force and brought them out of the dive with a sudden, stomach-churning swoop, stealing the breath away from Alex's lungs. 

Turbulent wind from the strong beating of Michael's wings bit at Alex's exposed skin, and gravity pushed his body against Michael's iron embrace. Alex suddenly realized these arms were the sole barrier between him and an ugly death. Gasping for air, he buried his face in Michael's neck and tried to focus on anything that wasn't flying, falling, or messy landings. 

He felt the muscles ripple as Michael swallowed, and the tendons, like steel cables, flexed against Alex's cheek. The wild scent of feathers and flesh curled in his mouth as he steadied his breathing, and the skin along the dip of Michael's neck twitched with each exhale. 

A flood of relief washed over Alex when the angel finally stepped onto the ledge of his elegant high-rise. Michael releases him when his feet found purchase on the parquet floor and ushered him to the center of the room. Red and gold gauze curtains gently swell with the balmy midnight breeze, and lit candles with cascading wax cast a soft glow across the painted walls and ceiling. 

With his back to Alex, Michael's gaze wandered to the shadowed city, his hands clasped behind a rigid back. 

" _They said save him, " Michael quoted, "Explain what you meant by this." His voice was smooth and lyrical, but there was a telltale tension about his shoulders betraying his unrest._

Alex struggled to recall the brief conversation with Gabriel while trying to contort his arms to reach the handcuff pouch on his belt. "The tattoos. He was curious if I could read anything in the marks." Michael faced the squirming human. 

"And you just thought you would _hand_ him this information?" Hearing the recrimination in his voice, Alex scowled up at the taller being. 

"I didn't _hand_ him _anything_! He threatened Claire." Gabriel's desperate eyes surfaced in his thoughts, tugging at his heartstrings. "It seemed like the thing to do at time, " he softly added.

Michael cocked his head to the side in his avian way and took a step forward. "Explain."

"I don't know, he just-he seemed…" Alex palmed his keys, letting out a relieved breath before working the small piece of metal into the keyhole. "It was really important to him."

"Gabriel is an angry, vengeful warrior with a deadly following, and he has turned all his ill will onto your kind--"

"Of course he's upset, Michael--ah hah!" The left steel bracelet popped open and Alex groaned as he brought his arms forward to relive the stress on his shoulders. "His Dad is _gone_ and doesn't understand _why_. That kind of thing eats up a man."

Michael blinked. "He isn't a man."

Unlocking the second cuff and replacing them on his belt, Alex scoffed and held up his wrists for show, "I'm finding less of a distinction these days." Rubbing his sore wrists, he examined the skin where it would bruise blue by tomorrow morning. _Great, bracelets to match the tattoos._ "It was about him anyway, so he kind of deserved to know."

Michael closed the distance between them until they were only separated by a few inches. He gently took hold of Alex's wrists and brushed his thumbs over the red tinged flesh, resting on the pulse points. Alex's breath caught and he stared at the point of contact before meeting the intense gaze bestowed upon him.

"Could it be that you, perhaps, empathize with my brother?" Alex's heart stuttered. Michael's grip tightened minutely and his eyes darkened. "Do not make the mistake in thinking he can be reasoned with. Try not to see yourself in him. Gabriel will not change his mind about his conquest, and his forces certainly won't be swayed--"

"But the tattoos were about _him_ , Michael!" Alex defended, "If they're supposed to 'guide me' or whatever, then maybe he needs help." Earnest eyes pleaded with Michael to understand.

"And what would you say to him? Why would he listen to you?!" Michael growled, "What could you possibly say to _move him_ when I, who have fought beside him and _bled_ for him over countless millennia, could not do the same?!" 

The outburst stunned Alex, leaving him speechless. Being an only child, he never experienced what it meant to have a sibling by blood, but he knew what it's like to care for family. He recognized the overwhelming urge to protect, fueled by desperate hopes that their strength was enough, and the accompanying fear for the day when it wasn't.

Why had he not thought of this before? If Bixby ever betrayed him as Gabriel did Michael, his heart would die in the hand she used to rip it out.

"I don't know how, but Michael, I just…he's your _brother_." The archangel pressed their foreheads together, and closed his eyes. The corner of his mouth curled up in a small, pleased smile.

"I do marvel at the heart of you." Their noses grazed and Alex's heart seized. Michael's gaze abruptly snapped open, and moved his thumbs across the pulse points of Alex's wrists. "Your heart just _skipped a beat_ , " he voiced with a note of wonder. The archangel rested a palm on Alex's cheek, his fingers stroking along the high bone. Sliding them back into the strands of blond hair, he gently grasped the back of his soldier's neck and grazed his lips against Alex's.

Like lightening in a bottle. Heat bloomed underneath his skin as the jolt of electricity conducted from lips to fingertips. Alex's heart _ached_ , making him want to shout with joy and cry his eyes out at the same time. Just when Alex scraped a life together from the odds and ends of the reject heap, Michael edges into the cracks. The archangel would strike a leather whip upon him, but also offer comfort when Alex lost his father for the second time. He'll push and pull until Alex was left in pieces, but give enough kindness to put him back together.

Michael was just not _fair_.

And yet, Alex still _wanted _this so badly--has _always_ wanted it. Maybe it was a father complex, or abandonment issues, or whatever the popular theory was these days, but may _God help him_ , Alex would take whatever Michael is willing to give him.__

Even if Michael's love was only for the blue mystical ouija board tattooed on his body.

"Let me have you?" Michael's low voice was rough as he murmured the words against Alex's lips. He answered by leaning up into another kiss, pressing his body into the sloping expanse of Michael's chest. And, oh God, he could feel the heat surging through his torso--it was like free falling inside his own skin.

Michael encircled him with both arms and wings, biting down on Alex's lower lip in a request for entrance. The meeting of tongues was surprisingly forceful, a battle for dominance, and Michael emerged victorious. Knees weak and moaning up into the angel's mouth, Alex's hands gripped his shoulders to keep himself from stumbling.

The soldier tugged on the edges of the angel's black shirt, wondering how to maneuver it off around his wings. With an amused smirk, Michael reached back to grab the collar and pulled it over his head, the motion accompanied by the loud sound of tearing where the cloth split apart upon the feathered appendages. Watching him carelessly fling the now-rags to the side caused a surge of white hot lust to roll through Alex, and his fingers hastened to open the angel's belt buckle.

Alex pulled the leather strap free and let it fall to the floor with a muted clank. The angel allowed himself to corralled backwards against the bedpost with a smile gracing his lips, which Alex promptly stole by licking a hot line from Michael's adam's apple to the hollow below his ear. Alex grinned against his skin when the angel tipped his head back against the post, and released the line of buttons on the archangel's tight trousers.

With the fabric pooled at their feet, Michael toed and kicked off his boots, ran his palms down Alex's back, exploring the curve of his waist, before pressing their naked torsos closer. His hands drifted lower to place a solid grip around Alex's belt before swiftly switching their positions, planting the soldier's back against the wood and shoving his thigh between Alex's legs.

Smirking, he undid the clasp of the blonde's belt and ripped it from the loops with an audible snap, eliciting a gasp from Alex. Michael looped the leather strap around his knuckles and struck the belt upon the bed's footboard. The sound of it cracked through their erratic breathing and echoed commandingly through the room.

"Your pants. Take them off." Michael ordered, dark eyes glittering, "Slowly."

Alex moaned. He looked up through his lashes and flashed a cheeky half grin. " _Make_ me."

Still using the top of his pants as a handhold, Michael wrenched him to the side of bed, tossing him into the silk sheets and settling over him. Before he could protest, Michael shifted over to bind his hands together and secured them to the headboard. With Michael above him, Alex eye's feasted on Michael in all his naked glory--and he _was_ glorious. Pale skin stretched taught across chiseled musculature that cast an ethereal glow in the candlelight. _Michael has always been deceptively beautiful,_ Alex thought. The youthful, unmarred body hid eons of experience--boyish face hid a ferocious and ruthless warrior with an untold body count. The regal composure hid a passionate and carnal nature.

Reaching over his willing captive, Michael slipped a hand under the pillow and pulled out a wicked looking blade. Alex tensed at the sight, "Michael…"

Seeing the uncertainty, Michael's expression softened, and he rested a palm against Alex's cheek. "I will never hurt what is mine." Dragging his hand along the soldier's body, Michael slid down towards the foot of the bed and used the dagger to slice through the shoelaces of Alex's boots. After removing and tossing them over his shoulder, he buried the blade into a convenient bedpost and made quick work of Alex's pants and boxers. Taking his time, Michael bit and licked his way up his soldier's leg, paying particular interest to the jutting hipbone, and mouthed at his ribs and nipples until Alex was a shivering, arching mess of sweaty flesh.

"Oh, God, _Michael_ , stop fucking around and _get on with it_!"

Michael leaned in closer to the delectable feast before him, and kept his lips just out of range as the soldier struggled up to meet him. "Make me." The blond let out a cry of frustration, and threw his head back against the pillow.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me, anyone ever call you a teasing bastard, " he hissed.

Michael laughed, catching Alex off guard. "Perhaps once, or twice. Say please."

"Oh, come on, " Alex huffed.

"Not until you _beg_ me." Michael said slyly, drawing a surprised laugh from Alex. He appreciated being with someone who could laugh with him in bed, and it was nice to see something other than stoicism gracing Michael's features. The angel returned to teasing Alex's body with nails, teeth, and tongue, trailing along the blue lines spanning the soldier's flesh. He played Alex like a Stradivarius, soliciting musical pleas to touch Michael, to touch himself. After an eternity, the angel reached back to the headboard and undid the belt restraining his wrists.

Finally, Alex was able to explore the work of art before him, returning the same pleasurable torture and stripping the veneer of self-control. Michael reached over to the bedside drawers and retrieved an elegant little jar of oil.

Michael's voice was rough with desire, "It would be easier on your knees, but I want to _see_ you. Have you ever--"

"Yea, it's okay, I want it like this, " he assured. Michael nodded, opened the jar, and dipped in his fingers. He warmed the oil between his fingers and leaned down to take Alex's mouth with his. The archangel then reached between his legs and spread the oil over the base of Alex's cock, feeling it pulse under his ministrations, before moving down between the firm globes of Alex's ass. Michael circled the rim before pressing in with a lubricated finger. Alex groaned into Michael's mouth, and the angel grabbed his left knee to hook it around his waist to force wider access.

By the time Michael was moving two, then three fingers inside of him, the soldier was clawing the skin off the brunette's lower back. "I'm good, I want it, " Alex pleaded, "Come on _please Michael_." 

The angel let out a harsh breath and shifted to align his cock against the prepared entrance. Alex braced himself, bitting his lower lip to keep silent at the burning stretch of the first inch. Michael paused for a tense moment and leaned closer until their foreheads touched. "Look at me, Alex," he whispered horsely. Alex's eyes drifted to meet the blown gaze above him. Micheal placed a gentle kiss against his lips, never breaking their steady gaze. "You are beautiful like this, " he breathed with each letter enraged with a sense of awe and adoration. 

Alex softened and relaxed, a warmth spread across his chest. Michael continued to press inside the soldier's heat, keeping rapt attention for any discomfort. Suddenly, Alex arched his back with a cry as every nerve lit up in his body, and Michael drank in his expression with renewed hunger. Once Alex felt the hilt, they laid skin to skin, gasping together. Michael felt full of yearning and wonder at where he was, and delicately stroked Alex's face with his fingertips, foreign, incomprehensible words against his lips. His unfurled wings were draped across the bed, the angel unwilling to spare the energy to keep them folded.

With a smile, Alex brought his other leg up and tugged at Michael's thigh in signal to start moving. They both shuddered at the first thrust. Alex combed through the angel's sleek hair and gently tugged him down for an open mouthed kiss. With a low growl, Michael anchored a possessive grip on his hip and picked up a punishing pace.

"Oh God, Michael, _there_ , just like that…"

With pupils blown wide and his mouth perpetually caught halfway between a smirk and a smile of amazement, Michael seemed simultaneously lustful and reverent. Dominating at one moment, effortlessly arranging Alex into whatever position he desired, and worshipful the next, touching Alex as though he a most precious masterpiece to be treasured and protected. He seamlessly flowed from one to the other with the same smooth poise as always, though it seemed so much more open than ever before. 

Alex's eyes were again drawn to the dark feathers born of Michael's back--he's _always_ wanted to touch Michael's wings. He stopped digging into the angel's shoulder blades, and reached forward to run his fingers down the waterfall of soft plumage under the wings joint. The wing twitched and jerked erratically, and Michael's whole body trembled. Emboldened, Alex stroked along the bone of the leading edge from flesh to feathers with his palm, and the angel's wing violently flexed to it's full reach like a reflex.

Lightly dragging his nails along the meeting of wing and strong back gets a reaction Alex never thought to experience from sleek and poised Michael. His spine bends to a sinful curve, his shoulder blades flex and jut out from the smooth slopes of muscle, and a savage growl is ripped forth as he buries face and teeth into the soldier's neck. Michael's shaking so hard, Alex vaguely thinks he might shatter.

Michael paused his motions, drawing a frustrated cry from Alex, and slid an arm under the small of his back and roughly pulled them up into a sitting position. The blonde's eyes closed in ecstasy as gravity drew him down further onto Michael's cock, who curled dark wings closed around them until they brushed against his tattooed back. Enclosed in feathers and hard muscles, he had never felt so safe, so shielded from the world, so _wanted_. Gasping as hot sparks raced up from the bottom of his spine, he nuzzled into the archangel's neck, gently biting at the tendons and then soothing them with his tongue.

The brunette's hands clawed down Alex's back and gripped at his hips, raising and pulling him back in sync with his erratic thrusts. Strangled, foreign words poured from the archangel's lips as they desperately moved with one another. Alex would have promised the devil _anything_ to understand.

Stars exploding behind his eyes as Alex came with a yell and he tightened impossibly around Michael while painting their stomaches white. The angel crushed Alex's body to his own so tightly he had trouble drawing breath, and moaned at the wet heat of Michael's come flooding inside him. Shivering, muscled twitching, they stayed like that for a few moments, enjoying the close connection of skin and heat.

Slowly, Michael unfurled his wings and laid them back down on the sheets, pulling out of the soldier with a groan. He wiped them down with the silk sheets and kicked them to the foot of the bed. Alex took the time to dazedly examine and admire the disheveled look of the angel. He'd never seen Michael so undone before, so _unraveled_. There were a million different things he wanted to say, so many points of contention between them he wanted to lay to rest.

What came out was, "you destroyed all my clothes."

Michael gave an undignified snort, "Actually, I only destroyed half of your clothes. Gabriel took care of the rest." 

Alex rolled his eyes. "You always have to be right don't you?" 

"Because I _am_ always right."

"I thought _lying_ was _wrong_. And I don't know how I'm getting back to my bunk unnoticed. Talk about walk of shame…" Michael slung an arm around his waist, pulled his back flush against him and settled his wings to cover their bodies.

"Stay." Warmth shot through Alex's heart, and he tucked his face in the bed linen to hide his smile.

"If you _insist_ \--ouch!" Michael smacked his thigh in retribution, and tangled their legs together.

Alex fell asleep to warm breath on the nape of his neck.

\-------------------------------

Gabriel sat on his throne in thought, playing a low blues song on his trumpet. The earnest face of Alex Lannon looped back and forth through his mind. Such a curious little creature, that one. A little better than the rest of the monkeys that climbed over this Earth…so _sentimental_. _And probably fucking my dear brother this very moment,_ he thought wryly.

Still…there was something about the blonde soldier that brought out his, well, not _softer_ side…his tolerance, perhaps? Gabriel lowered his trumpet.

"Furiad, " he summoned, the name echoing through the stone chamber. The angel appeared before him after a moment. "Watch for Alex Lannon closely and notify me the moment he leaves those city walls." The red angel nodded and left to notify the acolytes of their new order.

Gabriel lifted the mouthpiece back to his lips and devoted a smokey jazz number to the night. _Perhaps Michael needs to learn to share again..._


End file.
